Ray Stoeveâs Between Perfect and Real is a moving YA debut about a trans boy finding his voiceâand himself.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Dean Foster knows heâs a trans guy. Heâs watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks heâs a lesbianâincluding his girlfriend, Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a ânontraditionalâ Romeo. He wonders if maybe it would be easier to wait until college to come out.
But as he plays Romeo every day in rehearsals, Dean realizes he wants everyone to see him as he really is nowâânot just on the stage, but everywhere in his life. Dean knows what he needs to do. Can playing a role help Dean be his true self?
âPerfectly captures the roller-coaster ride of being a queer high school senior. Stoeve gives voice to the heartbreaks and triumphs of regular kid life in that time when weâre all trying to figure out who weâve been, who we are, and who we want to be. A beautiful read.â âDaisy Eagan, writer and Tony Awardâwinning actor